Portable electronic device with double acting hinge arrangement

Abstract

A hand-held portable electronic device including a housing having a first housing section and a second housing section; electronic circuitry in the housing; and a Jacob's Ladder flipping hinge arrangement connecting the first and second housing sections to each other.

1. A hand-held portable electronic device comprising:
 a housing comprising a first housing section and a second housing section; 
 electronic circuitry in the housing; and 
 a flipping hinge arrangement connecting the first and second housing sections to each other, wherein the first and second housing sections are adapted to be flipped more than 360 degrees relative to each other at the flipping hinge arrangement. 
 
   
   
     2. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the electronic circuitry comprises a transceiver and a camera. 
   
   
     3. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the electronic circuitry comprises a transceiver and the electronic circuitry is configured to play a music file as a music player. 
   
   
     4. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the device comprises a mobile telephone including a transceiver and the electronic circuitry is configured to provide at least one other non-telephone application. 
   
   
     5. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 4  wherein the first and second housing sections are adapted to be moved relative to each other to provide a first form factor operational configuration and a second form factor operational configuration, wherein the device is adapted to function as the mobile telephone when the device is in the first form factor operational configuration, and wherein the device is adapted to function as the at least one other non-telephone application when the device is in the second form factor operational configuration. 
   
   
     6. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the first and second housing sections comprises general semi-column shapes. 
   
   
     7. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the flipping hinge arrangement comprises at least three separate ribbons individually connecting the first and second housing sections to each other. 
   
   
     8. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 7  wherein a first one of the ribbons is located on opposite major sides of the first and second housing sections than second and third ones of the ribbons. 
   
   
     9. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 8  wherein the second and third ribbons are located on opposite sides of the first ribbon. 
   
   
     10. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 7  wherein at least one of the ribbons comprises an electrical flat flexible cable electrically coupled to the electronic circuitry. 
   
   
     11. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the flipping hinge arrangement is configured to allow a user to flip the first housing section in a first direction about 360 degrees relative to the second housing section at a first end of the housing from a first form factor operation position to an intermediate position, and wherein the flipping hinge arrangement is configured to allow a user to flip the first housing section relative to the second housing section at a second end of the housing in the same first direction about 360 degrees from the intermediate position to a second form factor operational position. 
   
   
     12. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the first housing section comprises a first user interface section on an exterior side which is not covered by a ribbon of the flipping hinge arrangement when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a first form factor operational position, and wherein the first user interface section is covered by the ribbon when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a second form factor operational position. 
   
   
     13. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 12  wherein the second housing section comprises a second user interface section on an exterior side which is covered by another ribbon of the flipping hinge arrangement when the hand-held portable electronic device is in the first form factor operational position, and wherein the second user interface section is not covered by said another ribbon when the hand-held portable electronic device is in the second form factor operational position. 
   
   
     14. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the second housing section comprises a camera lens on an exterior side which is covered by a ribbon of the flipping hinge arrangement when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a first form factor operational position, and wherein the camera lens is not covered by the ribbon when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a second form factor operational position. 
   
   
     15. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the first housing section comprises a keypad on an exterior side which is not covered by a ribbon of the flipping hinge arrangement when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a first form factor operational position, and wherein the keypad is covered by the ribbon when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a second form factor operational position. 
   
   
     16. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 1  wherein the first housing section comprises a first display and the second housing section comprises a second display, and wherein ribbons of the flipping hinge arrangement alternatively cover the first and second displays when the device is in respective first and second form factor operational positions. 
   
   
     17. A hand-held portable electronic device comprising:
 a first housing section having electronic circuitry; 
 a second housing section; and 
 a double acting hinge arrangement connecting the second housing section to the first housing section such that the first and second housing sections are adapted to rotate more than 360 degrees relative to each other by the double acting hinge arrangement, wherein the double acting hinge arrangement comprises a ribbon mechanically connecting the first and second housing sections to each other. 
 
   
   
     18. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 17  wherein the first and second housing sections are adapted to be moved relative to each other to provide a first form factor operational configuration and a second form factor operational configuration. 
   
   
     19. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 17  wherein the electronic circuitry comprises a transceiver and wherein the second housing section comprises a camera. 
   
   
     20. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 17  wherein the double acting hinge arrangement comprises a Jacob's Ladder flipping hinge arrangement connecting the first and second housing sections to each other. 
   
   
     21. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 17  wherein the second housing section comprises electronic circuitry and wherein the ribbon comprises an electrical flat flexible cable electrically connected to the electronic circuitry in the second housing section to the electronic circuitry in the first housing section. 
   
   
     22. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 17  wherein the hinge arrangement is configured to allow a user to flip the first housing section in a first direction about 360 degrees relative to the second housing section at first ends of the housing sections from a first form factor operation position to an intermediate position, and wherein the hinge arrangement is configured to allow the user to flip the first housing section relative to the second housing section at second ends of the housing sections in the first direction about 360 degrees from the intermediate position to a second different form factor operational position. 
   
   
     23. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 17  wherein the first housing section comprises a first user interface section on an exterior side which is not covered by a ribbon of the hinge arrangement when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a first form factor operational position, and wherein the first user interface section is covered by the ribbon when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a second form factor operational position. 
   
   
     24. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 23  wherein the second housing section comprises a second user interface section on an exterior side which is covered by another ribbon of the hinge arrangement when the hand-held portable electronic device is in the first form factor operational position, and wherein the second user interface section is not covered by said another ribbon when the hand-held portable electronic device is in the second form factor operational position. 
   
   
     25. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 17  wherein the second housing section comprises a camera lens on an exterior side which is covered by a ribbon of the hinge arrangement when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a first form factor operational position, and wherein the camera lens is not covered by the ribbon when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a second form factor operational position. 
   
   
     26. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 17  wherein the first housing section comprises a keypad on an exterior side which is not covered by a ribbon of the hinge arrangement when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a first form factor operational position, and wherein the keypad is covered by the ribbon when the hand-held portable electronic device is in a second form factor operational position. 
   
   
     27. A hand-held portable electronic device as in  claim 17  wherein the first housing section comprises a first display and the second housing section comprises a second display, and wherein ribbons of the hinge arrangement alternatively cover the first and second displays when the device is in respective first and second form factor operational positions. 
   
   
     28. A hand-held portable electronic device comprising:
 a housing comprising a first housing section and a second housing section; 
 electronic circuitry in the housing; and 
 at least three ribbons mechanically connecting the first and second housing sections to each other, wherein at least one of the ribbons comprises an electrical flat flexible cable connected to the electronic circuitry, and wherein the ribbons are connected to the first and second housing sections to allow the first and second housing sections to be flipped in a first direction about 360 degrees relative to each other at a first hinge location and flipped past the 360 degrees relative to each other in the first direction at a second spaced hinge location between a first form factor operational configuration and a second form factor operational configuration. 
 
   
   
     29. A method of reconfiguring a hand-held portable electronic device comprising:
 flipping a first housing section of a housing in a first direction about 360 degrees relative to a second housing section of the housing at a first end of the housing from a first form factor operation position to an intermediate position; and 
 flipping the first housing section relative to the second housing section at a second end of the housing in the same first direction about 360 degrees from the intermediate position to a second form factor operational position. 
 
   
   
     30. A method as in  claim 29  wherein flipping the first housing section comprises moving ribbons of a Jacob's Ladder flipping hinge arrangement connecting the first and second housing sections to each other. 
   
   
     31. A method of assembling a hand-held portable electronic device comprising:
 connecting a first housing section to a second housing section by a first ribbon; and 
 connecting a second ribbon and a third ribbon to the first and second housing sections on opposite sides of the first ribbon, wherein the first ribbon is located on opposite major sides of the first and second housing sections than the second and third ribbons. 
 
   
   
     32. A method as in  claim 31  wherein at least one of the ribbons is an electrical flat flexible cable wherein connecting comprises electrically coupling electronic circuitry in the first housing section to electronic circuitry in the second housing section by the cable.